Sunday, June 22, 2008

Chai-brined shrimp and mango skewers

Shrimp and mango skewers from cooking light.

I am not sure the chai brining was worth the effort. it tasted good - but I am not sure I could taste the chai. I didn't have any cardamom - I don't know if that made any difference. But, the grilled mango was excellent - and the shrimp was fine and very quick on the grill. Just for yucks, I wrapped some if the shrimp in basil leaves - this was very good. Next time, I might try grilling shrimp, and wrapping them in basil leaves, running a tooth pick through them and calling them appetizers.

Ingredients

3 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
8 whole cardamom pods, crushed
6 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
2 tablespoons black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling)
1 cup ice cubes
32 peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 large peeled ripe mangoes, each cut into 8 (2-inch) pieces
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced green onions
8 Indian flatbreads (naan)

Preparation

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tea leaves; simmer 2 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Stir in ice; chill.

2. Add shrimp to water mixture; chill 20 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove the shrimp from bowl; discard liquid. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread 4 shrimp and 2 mango pieces alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers.

5. Place the skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are done. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve with flatbread.

Note: As pictured on the cover, you can use smaller skewers. Simply thread two shrimp alternately with two mango chunks, and serve guests two skewers each. You'll need to purchase an extra mango (which minimally increases the calories per serving) if you opt for this presentation.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 skewer and 1 piece flatbread)

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